It's All In Your Head
by paandaabeaar
Summary: No one believes that the Akatsuki or Kyuubi are real. Everyone thinks Naruto is a crazy Schizophrenic and he is sent to the mental institution for "help". There, he meets one angry Sasuke Uchiha and the two are forced into a room together, and become fast friends. But what if the danger of Akatsuki is not all in his head? Warnings: OOCness BoyxBoy SasuNaru NaruSasu Violence later
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I'm sorry this is such a short chapter! It's mostly just an introduction to the story and I wanted to get SOMETHING posted! I promise the next chapter will be MUCH longer. Please leave a review so I know how to improve it. I have no beta so all mistakes are mine.**  
**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own any characters, just the idea**!

_Chapter One_

"I'm not crazy." Naruto stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched tight in anger. "Akatsuki is real. They're after me. Out to get Kyuubi. They've come after me once, they'll do it again."

"I'm not saying you're crazy, Naruto," Iruka said. "I'm just trying to say…. You're sick." They had been through this routine several times, and it always had the same result. Denial.

Naruto stood in anger and glared at his therapist. 'If looks could kill,' Iruka thought wryly.

"No, I'm not!" Naruto yelled. "Kyuubi is the voice I hear! He's a demon trapped inside me and the Akatsuki are after it's power!" Naruto paced in frustration.

"Naruto…" Iruka sighed and looked at his patient sadly. "I think you need help. More than I can offer you. It's a great place; I think you'll learn to love it there."

At Iruka's words, Naruto froze and stared at the closest thing he had to father figure. "What are you talking about? What 'place'? Where am I going?" Naruto asked.

"Konoha Mental Institute." Iruka answered, regret clear in his tone.

As expected, Naruto exploded, and began pacing again. "I don't need to go there! I'm not crazy! This is real, they're after me!" he screamed.

"You're si-" Iruka cut himself off, knowing the same argument wouldn't work. It never really had. He tried a new tactic. Maybe if he 'agreed' with Naruto, he could make him see reason…

"It's for the best, Naruto. Think about it. It's a high security place. Chances of any one getting in to get you is next to impossible. You'll be safe," Iruka explain. He hated lying to Naruto but what he was saying was half-truth. It was high security but instead of keeping anyone out, they were keeping him in. Keeping him safe was the truth, though.

Naruto paused in his angry pacing, trying to work through Iruka's logic. Is seemed to be working at first but Naruto's stubborn side showed and he said "I'm not going and you can't make me!"

"As your therapist, if I believe you are a danger to yourself or others, which I do, I _can _bring you there against your will. Plus…" Iruka seemed to hesitate. "As a person under the age of eighteen without a parent or legal guardian, living on his own… You have a unique situation."

Angry tears of hurt and betrayal threatened to spill over Naruto's eyes at Iruka's mention of his dead parents as he glared at his therapist. "Unless you knock me out and drag me there, I'm not going!" Naruto exclaimed his voice pure hatred and shaking with emotion.

There was a knock on the door. Frowning, Iruka answered and two large men entered the room. "Is everything okay? We heard shouting. Are you ready to go?" One of the men asked.

Iruka shook his head. "I'm fine. He doesn't…. he doesn't want to go."

"How unfortunate," the other large man said with a grin. He reached into a pouch attached to his hip and pulled out a long needle and began to advance towards Naruto. "You see, we have permission to take you, willing or not." He explained.

"No. You can't. Iruka, don't let them!" Naruto backed away from the man with the needle until his back hit the wall, effectively trapping him.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. It's for your own good," Iruka said.

Naruto didn't' have a chance to run before the needle was gabbed into his arm, its contents injected.

He shot Iruka a dark glare before his world went black.

* * *

Naruto gasped awake, plagued by nightmares. He looked around the room he was in.

The room was simple; two white beds, both bolted to the ground with companion night stands, also bolted, sat on either side of the room. Between the beds stood a series of cubbies, the kind you would kind in a kindergarten class. Opposite the two beds sat a desk and bench, both bolted to the ground, and a doorway with a curtain, leading to the bathroom. Another door was at the foot of the bed Naruto was laying in.

Naruto sat up and rubbed in his eyes, trying to figure out where he was. Being in the bed closest to the door, he decided to crawl over and peek out.

All he saw was a long, empty hall filled with doors.

"Where am I?" he asked himself.

"Konoha Mental Institution," a voice answered.

Naruto jumped and turned to find the source of the voice. It shouldn't have surprised him as much as it had; Naruto heard voices all the time- or rather a voice. But he usual expected responses from Kyuubi and the answer from the white-haired man he was now staring at was completely random.

The scene with Iruka played back through Naruto's head and he let out a groan and a series of colorful curses.

"I'm Kakashi," the white-haired man sitting by Naruto's bed continued. "I'm a tech here. I've been waiting for you to wake up."

"That's creepy," Naruto responded, shooting the man a look.

"It's also boring," he countered, gesturing to the orange book in his hand. Then he shrugged. "Alas, it is my job," Kakashi sighed dramatically. "We didn't know if you would try to run when you woke up, so I had to stay here, ready to restrain you if you tried. Not that you would get very far with all the locked doors and such."

Just then, a boy walked into the room. He had pale skin the greatly contrasted his black eyes and hair.

"I told you not to come in here, Sasuke," Kakashi said.

The boy, Sasuke, shot Kakashi a glare. "It's my room. I can come in if I want. Just because some new freak is here doesn't mean I'm locked out of my room."

Kakashi huffed angrily but didn't say anything.

"I'm not a freak you bastard," Naruto said.

Sasuke shot his new roommate a calculating look. "Hn. Could've fooled me. I heard all the staff talking about the schizo. I'm guessing that's you. Seems like a freak to me."

"Teme! Kyuubi is real!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi interrupted. "Boys, enough. Naruto, please refrain from talking to or about.. Kyuubi until you're with a therapist. Sasuke, get what you need and get out."

With that, Sasuke grabbed a book of his nightstand and quickly left the room. Naruto burrowed under the covers. 'Is how life will be from now on?' he wondered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hello! Thank you to everyone who read/favorited/followed! That means a lot to me and this little story of mine! As I promised, this chapter will be longer, and will contain a lot more interaction with Sasuke and Naruto (that is kind of the point of this). As usual, if you enjoyed and want me to keep going, let me know by favorite, following! On with the story!**  
**Disclaimer: The characters still belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Just the idea is mine :)**

_Chapter Two_

Naruto had no clue how long he lay there, caught up in his thoughts. Eventually, Kyuubi decided to join in on the conversation.

'It won't be too bad,' he said.

Naruto snorted and Kakashi gave him a strange look. 'I'm stuck in a mental hospital with an asshole as a roommate. How is that not bad?' Naruto thought back.

'Fake it until you get out, Kit,' Kyuubi suggested.

'How? Pretend I don't hear you? Pretend Kyuubi and Akatsuki aren't real? No one's after me?' Naruto responded with a scowl.

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked, noticing the younger boys changing facial expressions. "Are you okay?"

"Uh.. Yeah, fine!" Naruto smiled at Kakashi. He glanced inside his mind and sensed that Kyuubi had receded back into the dark corners of his mind. "Can we eat? I'm hungry." Naruto asked.

Kakashi glanced at the clipboard in his hand then at his watch. "It's 10:53. They're about to go to lunch. You can go if you promise to behave," he informed Naruto with a warning glare, promising unpleasant things should he disobey.

Naruto nodded eagerly, more than willing to comply with any rules if it meant getting food in his starving stomach.

"Well then come on," Kakashi said, standing from the chair next to Naruto's bed and moving to stand in the doorway to the room.

Scrambling out of bed, Naruto rushed out the door, only being stopped by Kakashi's arm blocking the passage. "Make your bed," he ordered.

Naruto grumbled but did as instructed, once again, the thought of food making him more than willing to do whatever he anyone told him to do. It was just too tempting to risk arguing.

After Kakashi deemed the bed worthy of being "made", he gestured for Naruto to walk out of the door. Naruto did so, but paused soon after, not knowing where to go.

Sensing his hesitation, Kakashi pointed to a set of double doors at the end of the hall where a group of boys were beginning to line up in front of.

Naruto shot Kakashi an uncertain glance and the man responded with a slight crinkling of his eyes, which Naruto interpreted as a smile since a medical mask covered his lower face and mouth.

He hesitantly walked forward to join the group, standing at the back and examining everyone in front of him.

There were seven boys in total, including himself. Sasuke stood towards the middle of the line, staring moodily at the wall. There were three boys in front of him; one with bright red hair, one with two triangular tattoos on his face, and one with a spiky ponytail. Behind Sasuke stood a guy with a hoodie on, with the hood up, and behind him was a large boy with swirls on his cheeks.

A man stepped out from a door with a stack of laminated cards in his hands. He began passing them out to each boy.

Finally, he got to Naruto, a blank card in his hand. "Any special diet or food allergies?" the man asked him.

Naruto shook his head no and watched as the man pulled a Sharpie out of his pocket. He wrote a few things on it before handing the card to Naruto, who examined it. The card read "Naruto U. NKFA. None".

"This is your food card," the man explained. "You present it at the cafeteria and they give you food. Simple, right?" He paused before seeming to remember something. "Oh, and I'm Asuma, the other tech," he added with a grin.

"Thanks," Naruto muttered, completely lost. Asuma walked to the doors and grabbed the lanyard around his neck. "Line rules?" he asked the group."

"Straight and quiet," half the group, mainly the front three boys, responded in a monotone voice.

Asuma nodded and scanned something on the lanyard on a contraption next to the door. There was a click as the door unlocked and Asuma pushed it open, allowing the boys out of the ward and on the path to the cafeteria.

'I wonder if all the doors are like that,' Naruto thought idly.

'Most likely,' Kyuubi responded.

Naruto grinned. Kyuubi was his only constant and he loved talking to the beast. 'You're back!'

'I can't really leave. Not that I would ever leave you alone in a place like this, kit,' Kyuubi said, an uncharacteristic display of concern and emotion.

'Thanks, Kyu,' Naruto said with a soft smile. 'I'm kind of scared of this place,' he admitted sheepishly.

"Naruto?" Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, once again pulling him from his conversation with the fox.

Naruto scowled at the man. "What?"

"Are you… talking to the voice?" Kakashi asked uncertainty.

'Fake it, Kit,' Kyuubi's voice echoed through Naruto's head.

"No. I was just thinking about being here," Naruto responded in his most honest and sincere voice.

It seemed to convince Kakashi. "You'll get used to it," Kakashi reassured.

Naruto wasn't convinced.

* * *

Lunch was a strange affair. The girls and boys stayed separated by a curtain and there was a very limited choice of food.

At first, Naruto sat in a corner by himself, but as more boys got their food, some boys joined him and introduced themselves. The boy with the face tattoos was Kiba, the ponytail kid was Shikamaru, and the large boy with the swirly cheeks was Chouji.

It was awkward and tense in the beginning but as the boys got to know each other, they began to laugh and talk more animatedly.

"So what's up with that Sasuke kid? He's my roommate." Naruto eventually asked the small group.

Kiba grimaced at him. "He's here for anger issues. Supposedly he killed his entire family, but he won't talk about it."

Naruto stared. He was sharing a room with a psychopath? He was going to die in his sleep! "Okay… That's freaky," Naruto finally nodded.

"No kidding." Kiba nodded his agreement. "By the way, it's kind of tradition to tell why you're here. I'm here because I'm ADHD and got into trouble with the law," Kiba explained.

"I'm here because I'm lazy. But they say that's from depression and wanting to off myself," Shikamaru said.

Chouji, who hadn't stopped eating other than to say his name, paused once again to explain why he was at a mental hospital. "I'm here for an eating disorder, obviously," he said, and resumed pigging out.

They all looked at Naruto expectantly. "Uh. My therapist forced me here because they think I'm schizophrenic," Naruto said in a small voice, staring at the table and avoiding all of their gazes.

"It's okay," Shikamaru said softly. "We all have our issues."

Naruto gave him a small smile, not voicing the real reason for his discomfort. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell them, it was just that he didn't believe the voice he was hearing wasn't real. Kyuubi was there, and Akatsuki was out to get him. No amount of therapy could convince him otherwise.

* * *

After lunch, they all returned to the unit and got sent to their rooms for "quiet time". After Naruto's performance at lunch, Kakashi decided that instead of being attached at the hip, he could have a bit of freedom. So, during quiet time, he set up a chair outside the door to his room and left the door cracked, should Naruto try anything.

Sasuke walked into the room and went to the desk. He began rummaging through a stack of papers before pulling out the one he was looking for. He then moved to the bed and grabbed a box of crayons.

Naruto couldn't help but snort. "Crayons. Really? Are you going to color?"

Sasuke shot him a deathly glare. "We aren't allowed to have pencils, pens, colored pencils, or markers, meaning crayons are the only option for anything. I don't have anything better to do, unless I want to nap, and I'm not tired. So, yes, I'm going to color. Any other fucking questions?" Sasuke snapped at Naruto.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered, curling up on his bed. He hadn't meant to make Sasuke so angry. He had forgotten about the boy's anger issues.

"Hn," was his only response.

"Can… Can I color?" Naruto asked after a few minute of silence.

Instead of answering, Sasuke stared at Naruto. Naruto fidgeted under the intense gaze until Sasuke tossed him a spare coloring book and a pack of crayons.

Naruto grinned at his roommate. "Thanks, teme!" he said.

Sasuke glared again. "… Dobe," was all Naruto heard from him.

* * *

The day passed quickly enough, with Naruto coloring most of it. He discovered they were literally allowed to color during everything. Therapy, education, Psych Ed, Doctor Visits, everything! And since coloring made the time go by faster, that's all Naruto did.

Every time anyone other than Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, or Sasuke tried to talk to him he basically ignored them. He wasn't trying to seem rude; he was just scared of all these new people.

Naruto made it his personal mission to break through to Sasuke. Since the coloring book incident showed Sasuke had emotion other than anger, because he actually cared enough to give Naruto something to ease his boredom, Naruto became determined to befriend the moody raven.

"So, Sasuke," Naruto began.

"Hn," Sasuke responded, eyes never leaving the book he was reading.

"Why are you in here?" Naruto asked. He already knew the answer but he wanted to find out for himself from the source.

Sasuke froze and ignored Naruto at first. Then, he carefully bookmarked his page. He looked up and met Naruto's eyes. At first there was anger, but as soon as black met brilliant cerulean, Sasuke's anger seemed to deflate.

"I have my reasons," he finally said.

"And those are…." Naruto pressed, once again forgetting the man's anger problems.

Sasuke glared at Naruto, all the anger back in his eyes. "None of your damn business," he said, opening his book and reading as though the confrontation had never happened.

Naruto sighed and turned back to his coloring book. Maybe tomorrow….


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: So, guys, I got a beta! Woo! Exciting, I know! Anyways, this chappie is going to be more from Sasuke's POV than Naruto's. And we might even find out why he's in the hospital *gasp* What is this madness? Sorry, I've had candy, I'm hyper :)**  
**Disclaimer: I own the idea; unfortunately, none of the delicious men are mine.**

_Chapter 3_

Sasuke just didn't know what to make of that new blonde kid. They hadn't even been together for 24 hours and he was already getting under Sasuke's skin like no one else. But, for whatever reason, Sasuke was finding himself enjoying being around Naruto.

Maybe it was his smile. When he gave the blonde the coloring book and Naruto had positively _beamed_, Sasuke felt something flutter in his chest. Which was just ridiculous, he didn't even know the kid. Maybe he was going insane. Ha, good thing he was in a mental institute.

Speaking of… When Naruto had asked why Sasuke was here, he hadn't gotten as angry as normal. In fact… He had actually wanted to talk about it with him. What was with this strange blonde!? Did he have some kind of magic powers that made angry Uchihas just open up and gush out all their deep dark secrets or something?

Said blonde was currently coloring away on his bed while Sasuke was brooding on the desk. Ever since he had given him the damn coloring book, Naruto hadn't put it down. Well, if it comforted him or whatever, it was good, Sasuke supposed.

"Hey, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"What?" Sasuke snapped, then winced at the harsh tone. He hadn't _meant_ to sound so angry, he just hated being pulled from his thoughts.

Naruto flinched at the tone as well and backed onto the bed, where he was about to get up. "I just… wanted to give you this. As a thank you, you know, for giving me the coloring book," Naruto muttered and offered a piece of paper to Sasuke.

Shocked, Sasuke took the paper. It was a picture of two monkeys hanging from a branch and Naruto had written "Thank you!" in huge letters at the bottom of the page. "It was nothing," Sasuke said in return, setting the paper to the side. Outwardly, he seemed indifferent but inside he was smiling. No one had ever colored him a picture before. This new kid was defiantly special.

* * *

By bed time, Naruto was no longer deemed a threat and didn't have to be watched 24/7. Sasuke was relieved because that meant that Sasuke himself could be alone, without the constant eye of a tech on him.

"Oi, dobe, are you going to shower tonight or in the morning?" Sasuke asked Naruto, knowing it would be required one way or the other.

Naruto seemed to think for a morning before deciding on the morning. "And don't call me dobe, teme!" he called after Sasuke as the raven went to get shower materials.

Sasuke smirked to himself as he asked the tech for the usual- shampoo, conditioner, and two towels. The shampoo had to double as a body wash so you had to be careful how much you used. All of the showering and bathroom materials were kept in a locked closet so you had to ask every time you needed to shower or brush your teeth or things like that. It got annoying after a while.

"You seem full of youth tonight," the night tech, Gai, commented as he handed Sasuke the items. The techs changed just before dinner, so now Gai and Yamato were here to watch the boys instead of Kakashi and Asuma.

"I have a dumbass for a roommate," was all Sasuke said as he turned and headed back to his room to his shower. As he walked in the room, he saw Naruto still coloring contentedly on his bed. Sasuke headed to the bathroom and closed the curtain, once again irritated that they didn't have doors to the bathrooms.

It was due to the lack of the door that Sasuke quickly showered and changed into his pajamas. He was climbing into bed just as he heard Yamato call "Lights out!"

Naruto groaned. "I'm so close to finishing this picture!" he said, frantically coloring.

"It will still be there in the morning for you to color," Sasuke reasoned, wanting the lights off so he could sleep.

"Whatever," Naruto groaned. He tossed the coloring book and crayons onto his night stand before crawling over and flipping the lights off. "Night, Sasuke."

"Hn."

* * *

Blood covered his hands. It wasn't his own blood, but the blood of his parents, whom he had just seen murdered. What was even worse was the murderer. He couldn't believe it…. The man who he was closest to, who he would come home every day to.

Sasuke crawled over to the gun that had killed his family and picked it up. It was the stupidest thing he could have done but logic was absent for now. Sasuke pressed the barrel to his own forehead, tears streaming down his cheeks, mixing with the blood.

Everyone was gone. Taken by the one person he thought he loved most in the world. Sasuke couldn't understand anything anymore; nothing made sense other than the pain of the loss. Greif was overwhelming him. Gripping the gun tighter, Sasuke put his finger on the trigger-

"SASUKE!" Someone yelled.

With a gasp, Sasuke was pulled from his nightmare and back into reality. He gasped for breath, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"N-Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto sat on the edge of Sasuke's bed. "Are you okay? I heard you sobbing and moaning in your sleep…" Naruto looked at Sasuke like he wanted to help but was afraid of rejection.

Sasuke covered his face with his hand, a sob choking in his throat. "Yeah. I just- dreaming about my family," he tried to explain.

"Ah. You want to talk about it?" Naruto moved so he was sitting side-by-side with Sasuke, their shoulder's touching.

The thought of rejecting Naruto's offer crossed Sasuke's mind before he pushed it aside and spoke about the night of his family's murder for the first time since it happened.

"That's why I'm here," he started to explain. "My family was murdered, and they found me with the murder weapon in my hand. But I could never kill them!" Sasuke frantically insisted.

Naruto nodded, nudging Sasuke with his shoulder. "It's okay. I know you wouldn't."

"I was trying to kill myself," Sasuke admitted quietly. "My family was gone. I had lost everything. I had no reason to live. My br- the murderer left the gun so I grabbed it and was about to blow my brains out when the police found me."

There was a soft gasp from Naruto before he urged Sasuke to continue with his story. Sasuke wiped at the tears on his cheeks but they were quickly replaced by more. "I refused to talk about what happened. I couldn't. So they came to the logical conclusion- I killed them and was in the process of killing myself when they found me."

"But that's not the truth," Naruto offered quietly. "You were just… Oh, Sasuke."

It was hard to stop the sobs as they racked Sasuke's frame but he needed to finish his story. "They didn't know what to do with me since I wouldn't talk, so they sent me here," Sasuke was sure Naruto couldn't understand what he was saying through his tears but he continued anyway. "They said I was sick. Homicidal. I'm not. I'm lonely," he cried.

Sasuke was shocked when he felt arms wrap around him and direct his head to rest on Naruto's shoulder. "It's okay to feel lonely," Naruto whispered. "Hell, that's all I feel. But I'm here for you, always. You don't need to feel lonely anymore. I'm here for you," Naruto insisted, slightly rocking them.

Sasuke only sobbed harder, holding onto Naruto with all of his strength. "Th-Thank you," Sasuke whispered, beginning to drift off, exhausted from the crying.

"Anytime," was all he heard before the darkness claimed him into a sleep where he was protected from nightmares by Naruto.

* * *

Naruto watched Sasuke fall into a peaceful sleep and carefully adjusted him so his head was resting on his pillow instead of Naruto's shoulder.

Blinking at the sleeping figure, Naruto thought back to the conversation that just took place. Sasuke… had actually opened up to him. A boy he barely knew had just told him things he had never told anyone else!

But how were things going to be in the morning? Would Sasuke even remember talking to Naruto? After all, he had been half asleep and delirious with grief and fear. With what little Naruto did know about Sasuke, he would be highly embarrassed by his display of emotion.

Naruto grinned. Maybe some teasing would be in order.

But for now, it was bedtime. Naruto crawled back over to his own bed and lay down. He hoped to fall asleep quickly but images of Sasuke's past plagued him as though they were his own.

He spent the rest of the night tossing and turning until, finally, Kakashi came in to wake them up and take their vitals.

At Naruto's questioning stare, Kakashi explained. "We take your vitals – blood pressure, O2 levels, and temperature- three times a day. It's to make sure your medicines aren't affecting you and everything is normal. You should have had this done last night."

A brief memory of the same procedure Kakashi was doing being done by Yamato the night before flashed through Naruto's head. "Oh, yeah. But I'm not taking any meds," he responded.

Kakashi looked thoughtful for a moment before saying "I think the doc prescribed you some new medicines last night that go into effect this morning."

"Why am I going on medicine!? I don't need it! I'm not taking it!" Naruto yelled.

"Why is it so loud so early in the morning? Shut up and take the damn medicine, dobe," Sasuke grumbled and Kakashi moved to him to take his vitals.

"No! I refuse!" he continued to exclaim.

Kakashi sighed. "The patient does technically have the right to refuse medicine," he said.

Naruto grinned in triumph.

"However, we can keep you here until you're… better and part of that is taking your medicine," Kakashi finished, smirking through his dumb face mask. How do you even smirk through a face mask?

Naruto's face fell and he looked scared. "What does the medicine do?"

Kakashi looked at his clipboard then up at Naruto. "It looks like they're starting you on Seroquel at night for Schizophrenia and Abilify in the morning for Schizophrenia and Depressive Disorder."

"Depressive Disorder!?" Naruto yelled as Kakashi wrote down Sasuke's vitals. "I'm not depressed!"

"Denial is a stage of grief and grief can often cause depression," Kakashi said simply. "So, will you take your meds?" Naruto shrugged. "You have until after breakfast to decide. That's when the boys take their meds."

Finished with Sasuke's vitals, Kakashi stood and left the room. "Hey… Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, surprised he was addressing him. "Yeah…?" he responded.

"Thanks… for last night. Most people here, they would have just let me have my nightmare. Thank you for waking me up," Sasuke said.

"No problem," Naruto responded, grinning his usual, trademark grin. "I couldn't just let you suffer like that. It was obvious your family's murder is a terrible experience for you, and you shouldn't have to relive that."

Sasuke looked surprised. "Yeah, it's pretty crappy," he muttered, staring into his sheets. "Come on, let's make our beds so we don't get yelled at. And you still have to take a shower."

Naruto got out of bed and quickly made it before staring blankly at Sasuke. "How do I take a shower?" he asked.

"Dobe," Sasuke responded with an eye roll. He motioned for Naruto to follow him to the supply closet and waited for Kakashi to open it and give Naruto the showering supplies. Naruto stared at the supplies in his hands then at Kakashi and Sasuke. "I don't have any clothes," he said.

Kakashi stepped further into the closet and pulled out a pair of grey sweatpants and a grey shirt, identical to the outfit Naruto was currently wearing. "This is all I can supply for you, until someone brings you something."

Naruto looked at the ground and scuffed his toe. "I don't have anyone to bring me anything. I'm all alone," Naruto said.

Both Kakashi and Sasuke looked at Naruto with sympathetic looks. "I'll see what I can do to get you some clothes of your own," Kakashi said.

Naruto gave a small smile and shuffled off to take his shower.

"Kakashi… Can I call my contact and ask to bring some stuff for him? Would you allow an outside source to give Naruto something?"

Kakashi smiled at Sasuke. "I appreciate your concern and trying to help, but let's call his therapist and see what he can do first. From what I understand, he's practically Naruto's father."

Sasuke nodded and went to the dayroom, the room in the ward dedicated to the various activities throughout the day. There were three couches and two chairs around the room, all bolted to the ground. Sasuke sat on a chair and waited as the room filled up. Shikamaru and Kiba entered together, as the two were roommates, and sat on one of the three-person couches. Shino entered next, wearing his traditional hoodie, and took up the other single chair. His roommate, Chouji, walked into the room and joined Shikamaru and Kiba on their couch. Gaara, the red head, entered and sat on a couch scowling and daring anyone to sit with him. The only one missing was Naruto, who was still in the shower.

While waiting for the blonde to join them, Asuma passed out the daily goal sheets and the point sheets. The goal sheets were a piece of paper asking a series of questions such as "How is your relationship with your family" and "Do you feel like harming yourself" and things like that. Then you had to make a goal for the day based on your treatment. Sasuke chose to ignore it, points be damned.

That was the other thing; they got a point sheet which had to be signed at the end of each activity in order to get points. You got points based on participation and the overall goal was to save up enough points to go to the point store and buy stuff like socks and puzzles and blankets and stuff. Sasuke usually ignored that too, but he somehow managed to get at least partial points each day.

Naruto walked into the room and sat on the empty couch, not wanting to risk Gaara's wrath. He had learned about that quickly. He was handed his papers and a crayon to fill them out, since no pencils or markers were allowed. Wouldn't want one of the boys to break it and cut, right?

Well, if you were on a really high level of the points you were allowed to carry a marker and use it as long as you kept it with you 24/7 and never let it out of your sight. That's where Shino, Kiba, and Chouji were. Naruto was too new, Gaara and Sasuke just didn't care, and Shikamaru was too lazy.

"Alright boys, goals!" Asuma said, walking to the white board at the front of the room and getting ready to write their goals down as a reminder of them throughout the day. "Who wants to start?"

Kiba eagerly raised his hand and Asuma gestured to him. "My goal for today is to find my triggers for hyper-activity!" he exclaimed.

Asuma chuckled. "Goal group is one of them," he muttered, writing it on the board next to Kiba's name. He then gestured to Shikamaru, since goal group went in a circle.

"My goal is to participate," he said lazily.

"That's a good goal for you," Asuma said, gesturing to Sasuke. Sasuke stared at Asuma, silent. Asuma sighed and wrote "No goal as usual" next to Sasuke's name. Then it was Naruto's turn.

"Since it's your first full day, you can have a pretty easy goal," Asuma informed him.

Naruto stared at Shikamaru and Kiba, then the board. "Find... my triggers… for the voice?" Naruto said uncertainly, the words sounding foreign in his mouth.

Asuma beamed at him. "That's a great goal! I'm proud!" Then, he turned to Gaara and flinched. "Do you have a goal, Gaara?"

"Try not to look so evil," Gaara stated in a flat voice, looking very much like he wanted to kill someone. Naruto shivered. Asuma wrote the goal and turned to Shino.

"Almost done. What about you?" Asuma said.

"Speak in group." Shino said in a clipped voice.

Asuma nodded and wrote it. He looked to Chouji, the last one for goal group.

"Uh, not eat as much," Chouji said.

"Alright," Asuma said and wrote the goal, then capped the marker and put it in his pocket. "Speaking of eating, who's up for some breakfast?"

* * *

Breakfast was the same as lunch the previous day. Naruto sat with Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba and they laughed and talked. The only difference was this time; Naruto kept watching Sasuke, wanting to go sit with him so he wasn't alone.

By the end of breakfast, Naruto excused himself and did just that. "Hi," he said to Sasuke, sitting in front him.

Sasuke looked up in surprise from where he had been staring moodily at his potatoes. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"I didn't want you to be alone," Naruto stated simply.

A small smile broke out on Sasuke's face before he could hide it. Internally, Naruto cheered. Maybe they _could_ be friends! "Thanks," he muttered.

"What are friends for," Naruto said.

Sasuke tensed at the word, but nodded his head in agreement.

* * *

After breakfast came meds. All of the boys lined up at the medicine window where a nurse handed them and watched to make sure they took their meds. Naruto fidgeted nervously and Sasuke put a calming hand on his shoulder. "They'll help you feel better, dobe," he said.

Naruto nodded and stepped up to the window when it was his turn. A nice nurse named Shizune was giving out meds. "Naruto right?" she asked. Naruto nodded and she handed him a small cup with two small pills. "We're giving you a Seroquel and an Abilify. The Abilify is every morning but the Seroquel is usually at night; you're taking it now to make up for last night. It's only half the normal dose you'll be taking but you're going to feel very tired. It should block the voice, okay?" Shizune said kindly.

Naruto nodded and took the pill cup from her along with a cup of water. He stared at the small items of medicine before throwing them back in his throat and chugging them down with water. Then, he walked to his room and lay down.

Maybe he was crazy. Maybe he did need to be here. Maybe those two little pills could help keep him sane.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for how long this took to publish compared to the other chapters! I was in the hospital and couldn't write! I'm so sorry! To make it up, I promise this will be the best chapter so far! Oh, and thank you to everyone who followed/favorited and special thank yous to berry5tz, Skeek622, and Narutopokefan for leaving reviews! Thank you so much, you don't even know how happy those made me! On with the story!  
Disclaimer: I'm just playing in the sandbox of the glorious Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 4

"Why don't they serve ramen here?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he plopped on his bed, very unpleased with the fish and rice they had just had for dinner. Since eating lunch with Sasuke two days ago, Naruto ate every meal with him and he had eventually convinced the rest of his little group to join as well.

"Because it's unhealthy, dobe," Sasuke responded, rolling his eyes at Naruto.

Naruto whined and grabbed at his stomach. "But I NEED ramen! It's a medicine for me! Make the doctor order it, teme!" he complained.

A small smirk couldn't help but appear on Sasuke's face at his friend's antics. Sasuke Uchiha didn't smile, but he was greatly amused by this blonde bundle of energy and showed it through the occasional smirk.

At first, Sasuke had resisted any attempts Naruto made at being friends, but despite his hardest efforts the brat worked his way through Sasuke's shell and the two were now the best of friends. It was insane how happy the kid could be, and how infectious it could be. Sasuke swore he saw Gaara's lip twitch once or twice at Naruto's jokes.

"I can't do that," Sasuke eventually said, sitting on his own bed. They had some free time before they went to Psych Education, and Sasuke and Naruto had developed the routine of coming to their room and getting to know each other better during their breaks. "It's your turn for a question."

Naruto tapped his finger to his chin, thinking about a question not already used in the past two days. "Do you like me?" he finally asked.

Sasuke choked on the water he had been drinking. After he finally managed to catch his breath he shot the blonde a glare. "What do you mean 'like'?"

"I mean… are we friends? Sometimes I feel like you're just pretending because you don't want to hurt my feelings," Naruto explained in a thoughtful tone, staring at the wall.

With a relieved sigh, Sasuke answered, "Of course I like you. You've seen how I treat people I don't like. I wouldn't pretend, that's too much work. We're friends, Naruto."

Uncertain blue eyes met confident black ones as Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other. After a minute, Naruto softly smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Sasuke. You're the best."

Sasuke wasn't going to mention how that phrase sent butterflies through his stomach. Uchihas did not get crushes.

* * *

"Naruto, how do you think the meds are working?" the doctor, Tsunade, asked. It had been a week since Naruto had been put on his medicines and some change should have occurred by now.

'Lie, Kit,' Kyuubi said. 'Tell her it's working so we can get out of here!'

Naruto bit his lip. 'But… I want to get better, and they aren't working…' Naruto thought.

'That's because I'm real. No medicines will block me out!' Kyuubi laughed at the very thought that a medicine could make him silent.

"Naruto?" Tsunade asked when he didn't respond, concern on her face. "Kid, are you okay?"

Naruto shook his head to clear it and looked at the doctor, determination on his face. He knew Kyuubi was going to punish him for this but he wanted to get better and the meds weren't working! "No, Baa-Chan, the meds aren't working," Naruto said. "I still hear Kyuubi pretty constantly."

'You little brat,' Kyuubi growled. The two usually got along, but now that Naruto was trying to get rid of him, Kyuubi was angry and out for revenge.

Tsunade looked alarmed but nodded and wrote something down in her notes. "We'll change what we're giving you then. Something is going to work. I'll make sure of it," she said .

"Um.. Tsunade?" Naruto asked.

She looked up at Naruto and gestured for him to continue.

"Kyuubi is angry I told the truth and… something bad is going to happen later," Naruto said quietly, looking at the floor between his feet.

Tsunade looked concerned. "What kind of bad thing?"

Naruto shrugged. "Sometimes he'll give me a migraine. Or sometimes he'll manifest and attack me. I don't know, but it's going to hurt."

"We won't let anything painful happen, brat," Tsunade said with a smile.

Naruto nodded, not believing a word she said.

* * *

It was about four hours later when the attack Naruto had been anticipating happened. Naruto walked into his room to grab his crayons and Kyuubi was sitting on his bed, calming swishing his nine tails back and forth.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto said, backing into the wall. "I had to tell her! I had to be honest!"

Kyuubi, slightly larger than a Great Dane, jumped off the bed and began pacing in front of Naruto. "I told you to lie. That way, we could leave, and avoid the Akatsuki," Kyuubi said, his deep voice echoing both outside and inside Naruto's mind.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto cried. He lunged for the door but Kyuubi lunged as well and sank his teeth into Naruto's calf. Naruto screamed in pain as he was dragged into his bathroom.

"You're gonna pay, brat," Kyuubi said before clawing at Naruto, cutting deep into his forearm as he tried to block the blow.

Naruto managed to crawl into the corner and throw his hands over his head to protect it as Kyuubi attacked him. And that was how Kakashi and Sasuke found him, cowering in the corner, sobbing, fighting off an imaginary monster.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called. Kakashi tried to push him back, saying it was tech business, but Sasuke refused to leave his friend. Naruto didn't react to his name, if anything it caused him to curl in tighter around himself.

Sasuke darted around Kakashi and threw himself at Naruto, hugging him and whispering words in his ear, trying to bring him back to reality.

After five minutes of coaxing, a hoarse "Sasuke?" could be heard from Naruto.

"Are you back with us?" Sasuke asked, pulling back slightly so he could look at Naruto in the face.

Naruto gave a shaky nod. "Kyuubi was never here, was he?" Naruto asked, looking at his uninjured arms and calf.

"Kyuubi isn't real, Naruto," Kakashi said gently. "Come on, let's get you your meds and get you to bed."

Naruto was too weak to stand on his own so Sasuke carried him to bed, once again ignoring the not crush butterflies in his stomach, while Kakashi went to get the nurse and his meds.

"'M sorry," Naruto slurred, already half asleep.

"For what, dobe?" Sasuke asked, completely lost as to what Naruto would have to apologize for.

"Freaking out. Thanks for calming me down," he explained.

Sasuke smirked. "Now we're even," he said.

Naruto gave him a dazed look, not understanding.

"My nightmare. You helped calm me down," Sasuke informed the half-asleep blonde of what he meant.

Just then, Kakashi entered with Shizune, who looked frantic. She rushed over to Naruto and put a hand on his forehead. "Are you okay?" she exclaimed.

Naruto gave her a weak nod. "I'm just exhausted," he tried to reassure her.

It seemed to work as she calmly pulled pills from the pocket of her nursing shirt. "These are the new pills Tsunade prescribed you. They'll make you pretty out of it for a few days, so don't be alarmed, okay?" She put the pills in Naruto's hand then gave him a cup of water from Kakashi's hands.

Naruto took the pills then let his head fall back into the pillows. Shizune gave him a sympathetic look. "Rest," she said, ushering everyone out of the room.

Naruto was asleep before the door was closed.

* * *

Sasuke sat in front of Tsunade and his lawyer, Jiraiya. He was finally going to tell them the story of the night of his family's murder and get his name cleared. At least, that was the plan. Whether they believed him or not was a different story.

"I don't really know where to start," Sasuke admitted.

"Why don't you start from when the intruder entered your house," Jiraiya suggested.

Sasuke laughed without humor. "It wasn't an intruder. It was my brother."

"That's a bold accusation. Did you actually see this?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes. I saw my brother, Itachi, take a gun, and shoot my parents in the head." Sasuke admitted.

Tsunade looked at Sasuke with pity. "Why didn't he shoot you?" she asked. She was glad he didn't, glad Sasuke was alive, but it just didn't add up.

"Itachi said that he needed me alive to despise him and hate him. In order to kill him. But I grabbed the gun and tried to kill myself after he left. I had lost everything, I had nothing left. So, I saw no point in living. That's when the police showed up. They saw me holding a gun, two dead parents, and I refused to talk. They assumed the worst. So, they sent me here," Sasuke explained to the couple in front of him.

"I see. Of course, we're going to have to double check your facts, but if you're telling the truth, and I think you are, you can be cleared of all charges," Jiraiya said.

Sasuke shrugged. "That was never an issue for me. I just wanted someone to know the truth," he said.

"Wait, I have a question," Tsunade said. "You said you saw no point in living. Do you still not?" she asked.

There was a small smile on Sasuke's face. "I have a reason for living. And he's a ball of sunshine," was the response.

* * *

It was two full days before Naruto woke up. After his experience, no one wanted to wake him up, so the staff made the decision to just wait for his body to wake up naturally, after it was healed.

To say the new meds made Naruto feel like a zombie was an understatement. His brain felt fogged and his emotions dulled but there was one plus- Naruto couldn't hear Kyuubi. The fox had vanished almost overnight.

Naruto was ecstatic. Not only did that prove to him that the fox was all in his head after all, but he was gone and couldn't torment Naruto anymore!

Another plus Naruto discovered upon waking up was that Iruka had stopped by his apartment and dropped off clothes and other various belongings he thought Naruto would need. It was like Christmas! And the feeling of wearing your own underwear again was indescribable!

So, the day went on normally after Naruto woke up. He woke up just before lunch so he got to eat right after having been asleep for two days. Apparently, there was something with Naruto and waking up around lunch time.

Naruto was surprised and pleased to discover that despite his absence, Shikamaru and the others had continued eating and talking with Sasuke at meal time.

"So, what happened while I was sleeping?" Naruto asked, lacking his usual enthusiasm but still curious.

"Nothing really," Kiba answered. "I'm discharging tomorrow, Shika and Chouji the day after."

Naruto had enough emotion left to look sad. "You mean I'm losing most of my friends?" Despite how zombie-like he felt, Naruto was trying to act like his usual self for the sake of his friends, but it was obvious how exhausting the act was.

"Yeah, then you can stop pretending to be okay," Shikamaru said.

Naruto pouted but didn't disagree with the statement. "I'm gonna miss you guys," he said.

The three of them nodded, with Sasuke picking at his lunch. "Maybe we can see each other on the flip side. Konoha isn't too big after all!" Kiba said, trying to lighten the mood.

Naruto smiled and nodded his agreement. "Sasuke and I will get better and meet you on the outside, yeah?"

Everyone, excluding Sasuke, smiled at each other and nodded their agreement.

* * *

By the time Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba left the hospital, Naruto was starting to feel like his normal self again. He commented on this to Sasuke who responded with "Good. I'm tired of having a dobe zombie for a roommate."

Naruto spent at least five minutes laughing at the term "dobe zombie" and the blush (not caused by crushing on the blond) on Sasuke's face. "You're blushing!" Naruto accused, pointing at Sasuke's face.

Sasuke swatted Naruto's hand away and looked at the wall. "Hey, Naruto…"

Naruto looked at Sasuke seriously, concerned at the sudden change of atmosphere. "I told the doctor what really happened the night of my parent's murder. Since I'm no longer a suspect, and I don't really have a reason to be here… They're probably going to discharge me.

"No! You can't leave too!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's wrist. "All my friends left, you can't go too! Don't leave me with Shino and Gaara! I'll get killed!"

"I don't have a choice," Sasuke said, making no move to free his wrist. "If they have no reason to keep me here… They have to send me home."

Naruto felt tears in the corners of his eyes. "Make up a reason! Please, don't leave!"

Sasuke seemed to think for a minute before winking at Naruto and yelling "Fine! See if I care! Fuck you too!"

"Wha- but I-" Naruto had no clue what was going on.

"Go with is, dobe," Sasuke hissed under his breath. "Dobe! Give it back! I don't care if it was weeks ago I want that coloring book back!"

Understanding dawned on Naruto. Sasuke was pretending to have an anger episode so they would keep him just for Naruto. "No, teme, you gave it to me!" Naruto screamed at Sasuke.

Gai rushed into the room. "What is wrong, my young lads of youth!?" he exclaimed upon entrance.

"This asshole won't give me back my coloring book!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"That's because he gave it to me over a week ago and there's practically nothing left in it!" Naruto shot back.

"Well… It was Sasuke's coloring book first…." Gai said thoughtfully.

"See! Idiot, you don't deserve a coloring book."

"Now Sasuke, you don't have to take it that far…."

"No! He's a dobe!" Sasuke knocked the papers off the desk and dramatically walked out of the room.

"Well he's not leaving any time soon," Gai muttered to himself.

Gai left and a few minutes Sasuke walked back in, picking up the papers he knocked off.

Naruto couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Thank you so much. You're staying for fake anger problems because of me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Naruto rushed over and hugged Sasuke.

Sasuke felt his face heat with the Uchiha "not crush" emotions. "Anytime, dobe. Now get off me," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto complied and went over to his bed to go to sleep. Sasuke followed suit, lost in thought. He was deep in the Uchiha "not crush" emotions with Naruto. Meaning he was head over heels for the blonde in the bed next to him.

Sasuke had no clue when it happened or how to deal with he. He just got himself in a mental institute for longer for Naruto for Pete's sake! He was in deep and it was bad. The question was, how did Naruto feel?


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I sort of… lost my muse. But, it's back and ready to go! So, let's get this show on the road! I have 21 followers now and I can't believe it! Thank you, all of you, it means a lot to me that you like me story! Let's see if we can't get it up to 25 or 30 by the next chapter, shall we? :D Tell your friends! Anywho, huge shoutout to berry5tz and Narutopokefan for reviewing again!_

_Disclaimer: Still just playin' in the sandbox._

_**Chapter 5**_

**One Month Later**

Things had never been better for Naruto. Sure, he was on half a pharmacy, but he felt _great._ Having to take all the meds in the world couldn't bring him down. He was finally better- or getting there anyway- and he was about to go home. Home with a certain raven haired teen.

After discovering Sasuke's feelings for Naruto, the blonde had told him that yes, of course he felt the same way, and the two had started secretly date while at the hospital. That was two weeks ago, and they hadn't gotten caught yet, although Naruto was pretty sure Kakashi knew and just didn't care. That, or he had some sort of perverted fetish.

Anyway, Naruto hadn't heard the voice of Kyuubi in a month, the last incident being the "attack". The new meds Tsunade had put him on worked like a charm and Naruto couldn't hear any thoughts but his own. Sure, there were side effects, but it was well worth it.

So, both Sasuke and Naruto were about to pack up and get themselves discharged. It was a miracle Sasuke had even managed to stay in the hospital for the past month, seeing as how he had no real reason for being there other than Naruto. Both boys were getting released, and after discovering that they were both emancipated teens, they decided to try living together.

Not fulltime, mind you- they weren't stupid. But going to school and spending the weekend together at one of their houses until they had been together longer, gotten to know each other better, and then they would move in together. Naruto had it all planned out.

They had also arranged for Sasuke to go to the same school as Naruto. He had originally been doing all of his schoolwork online, but he was going to transfer to Konoha High and give public school a shot. It was both form the pleading of the blonde, and a recommendation from his therapist that prompted this drastic change.

Sasuke was getting discharged the day before him, and that was on a Friday. So, he would head to his apartment, get everything ready, and Naruto would meet him there Saturday after his own discharge. That was the plan anyway, and Naruto couldn't wait. He wanted to spend time with Sasuke for real, without the constant watch of the hospital.

He wanted to kiss him. Sure, they had tried to see if they could sneak a kiss but it hadn't happened yet. And Naruto was aching to kiss the raven, feel his soft lips on his own. That was going to be the first thing they did once out of the hospital, they had both decided on one of their late night chatting sessions.

So, now it was time for Sasuke to leave and Naruto couldn't help but feel a pang of depression and anxiety, even though he knew the separation was only for a day. But wow, he was going to miss Sasuke. After being with someone 24/7 for a month, being apart, even for a day, was going to be agony.

"Are you sure you have to go today? You can't leave with me tomorrow?" Naruto asked, unable to keep the whining tone out of his voice.

Sasuke just shook his head. "No, dobe. They're making me leave today. Besides, with how well you've been doing, you've already been assured to leave tomorrow. It'll only be a day. I'll meet you at my apartment."

Naruto nodded but inside felt a small pang of worry. What if when Sasuke got out and experienced freedom for a day, he realized he didn't want to be tied down to the blonde? Sure, they weren't too serious yet, but still.

"Naruto, I can practically hear what you're thinking and it's not going to happen," Sasuke said, grabbing the pillow he had made while in the hospital and handing it to Naruto. "Sleep with this tonight to calm your nerves."

With a small smile, Naruto hugged the pillow to his chest. "How did you know what I was thinking?" he asked.

"Well, from the way you were biting your lip I knew you were worrying over something. And the logical conclusion knowing you would be you're worrying I won't want you after I leave the hospital, or something along those lines, right?" Sasuke responded, sitting at the desk and gesturing for Naruto to sit next to him.

Naruto shook his head, amazed at his boyfriend's ability to read him after just two weeks of being together. And they weren't even properly together yet! "It's amazing how you do that," Naruto vocalized his thoughts.

"Hn. It's logic, really. Try and figure out what I'm thinking, using logic," Sasuke suggested, turning to face the blonde to give him access to his body language.

"Um." Sasuke was sitting up straight and had a smooth facial expression. It was next to impossible to read his thoughts! "You're thinking about… leaving and getting the apartment set up?" Naruto took a wild guess. "I don't know, you're unreadable!"

"Close, actually, for a guess." Sasuke smirked. "I'm thinking about what your reaction will be when you show up at the address I had you memorize, and it's actually where I live, and I'm still going to want to be with you," he explained.

Naruto sighed and sagged, leaning against Sasuke for support. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto and rested his head atop the blonde locks. "It'll all be okay, Naruto," Sasuke reassured, rubbing his hand up and down his boyfriend's arm in a soothing motion.

"Okay. I believe you," Naruto said, offering one of his signature grins to help soothe both himself and the raven.

* * *

It was hard to fall asleep that night, even with Sasuke's hand made pillow. Every time feelings of missing the raven would threaten to consume him, Naruto would turn his and breathe in the sent left behind by Sasuke sleeping on it.

"Everything will turn out okay," he whispered to himself, willing himself to sleep so he wouldn't be tired for the big day tomorrow. Little did he know, his raven was in the exact same position halfway across their small town.

Sasuke was tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable spot to fall asleep in a bed that had gone unused the past month. He didn't have the comfort of anything Naruto owned, and it was getting increasingly harder to fall asleep.

Earlier in the day, Sasuke had been released and had prepared his house for the arrival of the blonde. He had cleaned out all the dust that had gathered over the month and went out and bought ramen and other various snack foods the blonde had mentioned that he enjoyed.

Now he was nervous, worried out of his mind that Naruto wouldn't show up tomorrow. He had the same fears as Naruto, but like the blonde had mentioned, he was unreadable and he had no idea Sasuke was just as scared as Naruto.

Sasuke finally managed to find a spot he found suitable and lay there, thinking. 'Please, let tomorrow be okay,' he thought as he finally managed to fall asleep.

* * *

A knock on his door woke him up. Looking at his alarm clock, Sasuke saw that is was already two in the afternoon! Naruto should be here by now! Oh, crap, what if that's who was knocking?

"Just a minute!" Sasuke called, as he rushed to put clothes on and brush his hair and teeth. Finally looking half-presentable, he walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. He saw Naruto who was fiddling with the edge of his shirt and biting his lip nervously.

"Dobe, you're worrying," Sasuke said as he opened the door. He was thrown off balance and landed on the floor in a heap with Naruto as the blonde threw himself at Sasuke, hugging him.

"Sasuke! You're here! And you're you! I mean you're not… you still want me here right!?" Naruto shot out, looking and sounding on the verge of tears unless Sasuke assured him he was wanted. He might cry even then.

"Yes, dobe, I still want you," Sasuke said with a smirk that quickly turned to a worried frown as tears spilled down Naruto's cheeks. He received a watery smile and another quick hug before Naruto stood, offering his hand to help Sasuke up.

"Why are you crying, I thought you were happy!" Sasuke exclaimed, unsure what to do in order to cheer up the blonde. "I have ramen?" he said uncertainly.

Naruto laughed while crying, creating a unique sound. "I am so happy right, not even ramen could make it better, and that's saying something," he told Sasuke, who took his hand and stood up. "But I will take that ramen!"

Sasuke smiled and walked over to the cabinet where he put the instant ramen. He pulled out the miso flavor and put water in the microwave to heat up. Turning to face Naruto, he said "So, how was your release?"

Naruto waved his hand. "I don't want to talk about the hospital. Tell me something about you, about what you did when you were out last night?" Naruto responded.

"Hn," Sasuke said, trying to think of something he had done that would entertain the blonde. Nothing came to mind. "I cleaned the house, then I went to the store to buy you food. Then, I came home and went to bed," Sasuke said.

"Well you're boring," Naruto said, sticking his tongue out at the raven to show he was kidding. The microwave beeped and Sasuke poured the hot water into the ramen to cook it as Naruto spoke. "Fine, I guess I'll answer your question. Discharge went fine, Tsunade gave me prescriptions for all of my meds and I have a follow up appointment with my therapist next week. After I got out, I went to get my prescriptions filled, then stopped by my apartment to drop off my stuff and back a bag for here. Then I came here, to wake you up."

So, Naruto had noticed. Darn. Sasuke handed the finished the miso ramen to Naruto, along with a pair of chopsticks. Before Sasuke could blink, Naruto had begun to inhale the still burning hot ramen and it was gone.

"Wow," Sasuke said, shocked, as he took back the empty ramen cup and chopsticks. He threw them away and gave Naruto a questioning look.

"Hey, I haven't had ramen in a month. I was starving for it. It's like I haven't eaten in a month," he explained as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He answered a text then pushed some buttons and handed it to Sasuke, the 'new contact' screen displaying.

"You can text, right?" he asked as Sasuke put his number in and handed the phone back to Naruto. As he did so, it vibrated and the message 'New Message: Sakura-chan' popped up.

"Yeah. Who's Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto smiled at his phone and put it away again before looking up at Sasuke. "She's my best friend. Needless to say, she was a little concerned when I disappeared for a month without explanation," he informed the raven-haired boy.

Sasuke nodded, wishing he had friends like that. He was perpetually alone, with the no family, and online schooling. Sasuke ached to have someone care about him. Thank god Naruto was here.

Without waiting any longer, Sasuke grabbed Naruto and pulled them close together. Time seemed to slow as he let Naruto lean in and tentatively press their lips together. At the initial contact, Sasuke reached up to take Naruto's face gently in both hands and pulled him closer, relishing in the feel of Naruto's soft lips against his own.

"I've wanted to do that for ages," Sasuke breathed, pulling away slightly. Naruto smiled at Sasuke and nodded his agreement.

Naruto pressed their lips together for a quick kiss before pulling away completely. He had a light blush on his cheeks and was looking at the floor. "Would you believe me when I said that was my first kiss?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke smiled, glad it was with him. "Well, thank god," he said. "Are you okay?" he asked after a minute, noticing how Naruto had yet to look up from the floor.

"Yeah I just- I'm just afraid I did something wrong.. Y'know?" Naruto responded, finally looking at Sasuke. There was a lot of vulnerability in those shining blue orbs and Sasuke how to be careful how he answered.

"Naruto… you were perfect. You _are _perfect," was Sasuke's response.


End file.
